A sessions court in Kannur on Saturday sentenced 10 CPM cadres in a 2011 bomb attack case involving RSS-BJP workers. The total punishment across sections of the IPC and the Explosives Act adds up to 25 years.

Taliparamba Additional District and Sessions Judge Prasanth K.N. delivered the verdict. Public prosecutor U. Rameshan said different sentences were awarded under multiple provisions.

The court directed that the second accused, T. V. Binu also known as Urumban Binu, will have to serve the sentences consecutively, as he was the one who threw the bomb, and therefore, he will remain in jail for 25 years, the prosecutor said.

Nine others - M. K. Pradeepkumar, P. P. Sathyan, P. V. Baburaj, a CPM panchayat member, E.V. Vinod Kumar, Vijayan, K.P. Suresh, Toby, Janardhanan K.V. and Sivaprakash - were given concurrent sentences.

They will serve a maximum of 10 years, the prosecutor said. A fine of Rs 2.6 lakh was imposed on each of the convicts by the court, the prosecutor added. The incident took place on November 27, 2011 near Thimiri College in Kannur.

The prosecution said a bomb was thrown at a vehicle carrying RSS-BJP workers after an argument over setting up an RSS branch in the area. A clash had taken place between the two groups a day earlier.

The bomb was thrown following heated arguments over the opening of an RSS branch in the area, he said, adding that a clash had taken place in the area between the two sides a day before the incident.

Around 30 people were inside the vehicle at the time. Nine sustained serious injuries in the blast.